Battle of Peachtree Creek

The Battle of Peachtree Creek (20 July 1864) was a failed attempt by Confederate general John Bell Hood to surprise Union general George H. Thomas as his army crossed Peachtree Creek in Fulton County, Georgia. However, he failed to stop Thomas' 21,655-strong Army of the Cumberland from crossing the creek and forming defensive earthworks to the north of Atlanta, and he decided to send his 20,250-strong Army of Tennessee to assault the Union positions and break the Union line. William J. Hardee's corps attacked the Union on the right flank, but his corps ran into fierce opposition and suffered heavy losses during its attack. Alexander P. Stewart's attack on the left made good progress, routing two Union brigades, but a Union counterattack blunted the Confederate assault. Hood's army withdrew after the failed assault, and the Union would continue marching on Atlanta.